"The castle garden's
enchanted right enough; but what I should like to know is how and
why. I say, come on, I've got to catch Johnson before twelve. We'll
walk as far as the market and then we'll have to run for it."
"But go on with the adventure," said Mabel. "You can talk as we
go." "Oh, do it is so awfully thrilling!"
This pleased Gerald, of course.
"Well, I just followed, you know, like in a dream, and they got out
the cavy way you know, where we got in and I jolly well thought I
d lost them; I had to wait till they'd moved off down the road so
that they shouldn't hear me rattling the stones, and I had to tear to
catch them up. I took my shoes off I expect my stockings are done
for. And I followed and followed and followed and they went
through the place where the poor people live, and right down to
the river. And
I say, we must run for it."
So the story stopped and the running began.
They caught Johnson in his own back-yard washing at a bench
against his own back-door.
"Look here, Johnson," Gerald said, "what'll you give me if I put
you up to winning that fifty pounds reward?"
"Halves," said Johnson promptly, "and a clout 'long-side your head
if you was coming any of your nonsense over me."
"It's not nonsense," said Gerald very impressively. "If you'll let us
in I'll tell you all about it. And when you've caught the burglars and
got the swag back you just give me a quid for luck.
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